


Atypical Christmas

by princessgrouch



Series: Atypical [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 01:20:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8947540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessgrouch/pseuds/princessgrouch
Summary: Merlin's first Christmas.  Merlin's first everything.





	

Merlin woke up with a giddy feeling in his stomach. It felt like Christmas. He slid out of the warm toasty bed and made his way over to pull open the curtains. Snow. It looked like Christmas.

Shuffling back to the bedside table in his thick Christmassy-looking socks, Merlin ran a finger along the top edge of the photo standing there in its gilt frame. A good-looking blond, the words “Love, Arthur” scrawled across it. He dropped his hand to flip open the album entitled “Memory Book” that was laying there.

A post-it note on the first page:

It’s Christmas!  
I’m making breakfast.  
Pancakes.  
Arthur. XXX OOO

Interesting. Merlin debated turning to the next page. He looked over his shoulder at the bedroom door, and made up his mind. Since this was Christmas, he’d let the day be a gift in its entirety. No cheat-sheets today. Closing the book, he went and opened the door on this new adventure.

Merlin had to make himself walk away from the tree in the sitting room. A quick check revealed presents for himself, for Arthur, for Hunith (that was his mom), and for Will. Oh, good. He’d had a vague uneasy feeling that Will had died, but apparently not.

The kitchen was easy to find. Follow the delectable scent of pancakes and coffee. And there was the blond man, liberally sprinkling chocolate pieces onto the sizzling pancakes in the fry pan. Another pile of pancakes were already waiting on a plate. Merlin nabbed one, and wolfed it down appreciatively.

“Wow! How’d I ever get to be so lucky?” he queried after he finally swallowed that mouthful. The blond turned to find Merlin ogling him with a big goofy grin on his face.

The man – Arthur – smirked. “You never say the same thing twice,” he commented, leaning over to kiss Merlin whilst simultaneously flipping a pancake over. He licked some chocolate from Merlin’s lips as he pulled back. “Happy Christmas, love,” he said.

“Hi, I’m Merlin,” Merlin said, unable to stop himself. After all, he didn’t remember ever meeting this man before. “And you’re Arthur, right?” Arthur nodded, smiling. “How long?” Merlin asked.

“We’ve been together just over two years now,” Arthur answered, sliding the new load of pancakes onto a second plate. Dolloping some whipped cream onto his stack, he took a seat at the counter and started to dig in.

Merlin followed suit, adding some strawberries as well. He looked Arthur up and down as he ate, taking in every feature. The ratty red shirt, the penguin bottoms. The evident muscles showing through the flimsy material. Firm jaw, full lips. He couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off this man. This was starting out to be a fabulous day!

Merlin thought a moment. “And I never say the same thing twice when we meet?” Arthur shook his head no. “Like what do I say?”

“Well,” Arthur started, pausing to wash down his mouthful with a swig of coffee, “Well, usually it’s something nice, like ‘You’re hot,’ or ‘Hello, handsome.’ You do sometimes come up with something really original, like once you said, ‘You’re such a clotpoll.’”

Merlin snorted, nearly choking on a strawberry.

“I know, right?” said Arthur. “What does that even mean?”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “It’s idiomatic. Clot, as in blockage, and poll, as in head. Blockhead. Duh.” Arthur shook his head, smiling fondly at the dark-haired man beside him, and gave him another kiss, chasing after the strawberry taste on Merlin’s tongue. He drew away, but didn’t get too far seeing as Merlin had tangled his fingers in Arthur’s hair. Merlin’s blue eyes were crinkled up in delight.

“Finish up, love,” Arthur urged. “Your mum and Will are coming for noon, and I want to give you my gift before they get here.”

Merlin didn’t let him go, however, but bit his lower lip thoughtfully, provocatively. “So, we have sex, right?”

“I should hope so!”

“Good. Can we? I mean, how is it?” Merlin blushed. He wasn’t familiar with himself being so forward.

Arthur laughed. “Every time is like the first time, darling.”

Merlin looked away, feeling shy. Then his eyes widened and he looked back as realization dawned as to what Arthur had just said. “Oh. Ha bloody ha. _First time_.”

Arthur shook his head indulgently. “Come on, I’ll show you how it’s done in the shower. You seem to like that.” Merlin took the proffered hand and followed him out of the kitchen.

*****

Later, hair damp and feeling giddy in love, Merlin sat curled up by Arthur on the sofa, gazing into the lights of the tree. Arthur slid to the floor before him and lifted a small velvet box up to Merlin.

“Marry me?”

Merlin looked at the ring. He looked into the eyes of the man he would never remember from one day to the next. And he knew that falling in love every day for the rest of his life would be the best way to live.

So he did.

**Author's Note:**

> I've given Merlin atypical short-term memory loss, so he lives every day like it's his first time for everything. Certain things that stem back to his childhood are easier for him to recall, but beyond that, he doesn't worry too much about the past.
> 
> I will return to this 'verse, given that I at least want to share how Merlin and Arthur first met. 
> 
> Happy Christmas to all.


End file.
